hills&valleys

Today marks my one year anniversary of my VSG. This was the best gift I could have given myself.
As promised, I am back to give my 12 month update. I hope all will follow up with status updates so the results can be tabulated.

1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT - F, 62, 5'5"
2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) - 6.5 LBS
3.Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. - 202.5 LBS
4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery - 187.4 LBS
5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery - 170.8 LBS
6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery - 149.2 LBS
7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery - 134.2 LBS

I am so happy to hear that you have taken control of your life rather than letting others control you. For the sake of you and your daughter, love yourself and put yourself first. You can't be there for your daughter unless you are first there for yourself.
The vast majority of WLS patients will tell you that their only regret is that they didn't have the surgery earlier. The members of bariatricpal.com are very supportive and knowledgeable. Reach out....you are among friends and not alone.

Welcome to the group. Use the search tab to find success stories and detailed accounts of member's journeys. There are so many good threads just jump in and comment on posts which you find inspiring or have questions. As a newcomer, asking questions on existing threads is the easiest way to establish a dialog and build rapport. Again, welcome and we all look forward to your participation!

Today marks my one year anniversary of my VSG. This was the best gift I could have given myself.
As promised, I am back to give my 12 month update. I hope all will follow up with status updates so the results can be tabulated.

1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT - F, 62, 5'5"
2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) - 6.5 LBS
3.Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. - 202.5 LBS
4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery - 187.4 LBS
5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery - 170.8 LBS
6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery - 149.2 LBS
7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery - 134.2 LBS

Kosher pickles and the Pickle Juice were the saving grace for me. They were not on the approved food list but based on the nutritional information should be unless the patient is on an extreme sodium restriction diet. I confessed my addition to my doctor and amazingly pickles are now included on the group's pre-op diet.

You look fabulous!!!

VSG 2017/ RNY 2019 plastics 2020/2021
I never took the before WLS pic. But here’s the after WLS and after plastics pics.
I had a mommy makeover (tummy tuck and breast lift w/o implants then a posterior back lift and fat transfer to buttocks)
1st pic lowest post WLS weight before plastics 2020
2nd pic highest post WLS weight after plastics 2022

My pre and post PS pics. I had
my VSG in Aug 2019. Tummy Tuck, breast lift & augmentation, and arm lift in Jan 2021 after losing 146 lbs. I’m so glad I did!

I am so happy to hear that you have taken control of your life rather than letting others control you. For the sake of you and your daughter, love yourself and put yourself first. You can't be there for your daughter unless you are first there for yourself.
The vast majority of WLS patients will tell you that their only regret is that they didn't have the surgery earlier. The members of bariatricpal.com are very supportive and knowledgeable. Reach out....you are among friends and not alone.

I am so happy to hear that you have taken control of your life rather than letting others control you. For the sake of you and your daughter, love yourself and put yourself first. You can't be there for your daughter unless you are first there for yourself.
The vast majority of WLS patients will tell you that their only regret is that they didn't have the surgery earlier. The members of bariatricpal.com are very supportive and knowledgeable. Reach out....you are among friends and not alone.

**Trigger warning: domestic abuse**

My name is Georgia, I am 27, and I have been 'bigger' for my entire adult life, and a lot of my childhood too.
I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) insulin resistant type, and an Underactive Thyroid, both of which cause me to put on weight quickly, retain weight, and makes losing weight extremely difficult.
I can't even remember the countless amounts of fad diets I have been on, or the amount of times I have tried to lose weight, but failed again and again. When I was 18 I was going to the gym 5-6 times a week for over an hour, I was doing HIIT training and Tai Chi, and I was jogging, eating well etc, but I still only managed to lose 2 stone in a year - make it make sense! I didn't know back then that I had underlying conditions that made it hard for me to lose weight, so I internalised a lot of the guilt in not being able to get healthy, and it resulted in me putting on around 6 stone from then until now.
I was also a victim of domestic abuse/violence, and a lot of the verbal abuse that I suffered was centred around my weight - constantly being told by my ex-partner that I was fat, he would pinch my thighs, tummy, arms etc, telling me he was seeing how many inches I could lose. It completely broke me, and I started binge eating in secret. He ended up leaving me, telling me that he could no longer be with me due to my weight and how it made me sexually unattractive.
I think I am probably just over 20 stone now. My back hurts when I walk, I cannot look in any mirrors without feeling low, I don't feel comfortable going out in public, and I am exhausted all the time.
Every time I went to my GP about something, I was always told I needed to lose weight, as if it were a miracle cure and so simple to do just by trying hard enough. It was always blamed on me not putting in enough effort - and those in the UK will know that the NHS isn't a simple thing to navigate and the waiting lists for obesity support are long and often disheartening.
Around 2 years ago I was put on a waiting list for weight loss management with the NHS. I was finally accepted in September of 2023. This is a year long commitment to the weight loss management pathway (Tier 3), in which you have to lose 5% of your weight in order to then be put on to another waiting list for a referral for the actual WLS (Tier 4). I have been told that this can take a further 4-6 years.
I had a harrowing thought that by the time my WLS actually came around, I'd be well into my 30s, still desperately unhappy with myself, and I would have put on even more weight and probably be immobile. I can no longer do this to myself. I deserve better.
I made the decision to look into private weight loss surgery, and I had a free consultation with a recommended surgeon just before Christmas 2023. This was genuinely the first time that a medical professional sat me down and talked to me with some humanity about my weight. He told me that with my conditions (particularly the insulin resistance, and hormonal imbalance), that my metabolic rate needed an entire reset, and this was not possible to do without surgical intervention. He explained that the difficulties I have had in trying to lose weight and being unable to, are not my fault (though of course I accept responsibility that getting here in the first place is my fault), and that surgery is recommended as perhaps the only thing that will enable me to lose the weight. I have never felt so seen, and so heard.
I booked in my surgery for May 2024 there and then.
So, now I start my journey, and I was looking for support, and here I am. I look forward to posting on here and using this thread to update everyone once I have had my surgery!
I am quite an open and honest person, so if anyone wants to reach out to talk, my inbox is open

This is really lovely to read - congratulations and well done for putting yourself first

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Women tend to do so much stuff for other people...isn't it nice when we can do something great for ourselves ? I hope you have many more years of happiness from your surgery !

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health.
On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range.
I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

You are threatening the status quo. That can be very scary and can change existing safe relationships dramatically and not always for the best. Generally when people don't want you to improve yourself there is something in it for them for you to stay as you are.
Maybe not. It will take some soul searching to discover the truth.
Good luck,
Tek

Some of the unsung benefits of losing excess weight:

A CDC info sheet on the association between obesity and 13 specific cancers it can cause.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/obesity/index.htm
The NIH’ s National Cancer Institute fact sheet on obesity and cancer
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/obesity-fact-sheet

Hope you find this interesting!

You look fabulous!!!